Shoe with wrapped sole and transparent pod

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a method for making a shoe having a decorated sole, which comprises: providing a sole blank for a desired shoe; providing a fabric having desired decoration, design, or insignia on a bottom side thereof cutting the fabric to a size which will cover the sole and wrap on a portion of an inside edge of the sole; adhering the fabric to the sole blank with bonding agent or adhesive and wrapping the fabric around the edge of the sole; adhering the fabric to the upper edge of the sole blank; affixing a clear plastic pad to at least a portion of the sole to protect against wear of the fabric by floor or street surfaces; and adhering the sole to a shoe upper to form a complete shoe. The invention further provides shoes having decorative soles made in accordance with the foregoing method.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/102,556 tiled on Jul. 11, 2014, the entire contents of which are incorporated here by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods for making footwear, and in particular to a method for decorating the soles of footwear and protecting the decoration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Recently, footwear, and in particular women's footwear has featured decorative soles on boots, high heels, flats, and the like. For example, Christian Louboutin has popularized the distinctive red sole for the bottoms of shoes and boots that he designs. Those shoes appear to have leather soles painted or treated with red coloring or polish to give them their notable red sole. When worn, the red sole is noticeable, and serves as an indicator of the source of the shoe.

Designers wishing to apply as more ornate sole decoration, however may wish to attach textured materials such as fabric or other decorations to the sole of the shoe. Such decorations on a shoe's sole may get defaced if left unprotected. It would be desirable, therefore, to have access to a method whereby the decoration can be protected from the street, sidewalk, or other abrasive surface that may mark or deface the decoration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The foregoing disadvantages of prior shoe manufacturing, methods, and shoes made thereby, are overcome by providing a method for making a shoe having a decorated sole, which comprises providing a sole blank for a desired shoe; providing a fabric having desired decoration design, or insignia on a bottom side or the sole thereof cutting the fabric to a size which will cover the sole and overwrap on a portion of an inside edge of the sole; adhering the fabric to the sole blank with a bonding agent or adhesive and wrapping the fabric around the edge of the sole; adhering the fabric to the upper edge of the sole blank; affixing a clear plastic pad to at least a portion of the sole to protect against wear of the fabric by floor or street surfaces; and adhering the sole to a shoe upper to form a complete shoe. The invention further provides a method of manufacturing which includes adhering sequins, pearls, or beads to the fabric portion before attaching the pad thereto. The invention further provides a shoe made in accordance with the foregoing manufacturing methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects, features, and advantages of the invention may be understood by reference to the attached drawings, taken in connection with the following detailed description in which:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a shoe made in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the shoe of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a second embodiment of the shoe of present invention;

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of another embodiment of the shoe of present invention;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of a third embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe embodying the present invention, generally designated by reference numeral 10. The shoe 10 includes an upper 12, a sole 14, to heel 16, a decorative element 18 on at least a portion of the sole 14, and a protective pod or pad 20 covering at least a portion of the sole 14.

The shoe 10 can be a high-heeled women's shoe, a boot or bootie also for women, or a flat or ballet slipper style shoe for women, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The present invention may also be used for a man's shoe or boot as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The sole 14 on the men's version may also have a decorative element 18 such as a checkerboard, camouflage, a sport's team logo, or the like, suitable for a man's taste.

The decorative element 18 in either the women's or men's version of the shoe is preferably a piece of fabric 22 having the desired Of selected design. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 6. The fabric 22 will give a two-dimensional appearance to the decorative element 18. Examples of various decorative elements may be seen in my issued and pending design patents and applications, U.S. Design Pat. No. D716,536, D716,537, D715,524, D715,521, D715,525, D716,533, D716,534, and U.S. Design patent applications 29/502,510, 29/502,512, 29/502,514, 29/502,511, 29/502,513, 79/502,515, 29/502,495, 29/502,499, 29/502,503, 29/502,505, 29/502,509 29/507,507, 29/502,504, 29/502,502, 29/504,557, 29/504,563, 29/504,556, 29/504,565, and 29/507,336, all of which are entirely incorporated by reference herein. The decorative elements 18 is on the women's sole 14 include, for example, a checkerboard pattern, a zebra pattern, stripes, polka dots, plaid, argyle, leopard spots, and tiger stripes, among others.

The protective cover pod or pad 20 covers either the portion of the sole 14 that engages the pavement or floor, in the case of a high heel, or the entire sole up to or including the heel in the case of a flat shoe or ballerina type slipper, in the case of the two dimensional pattern. The protective pad 20 is made on any polymer such as a silicone or PVC based polymer or other polymer that provides a degree of traction and cushioning. The pad 20 includes holes for stitching with appropriate PVC thread.

In another embodiment, the sole 14 can be decorated with Austrian Crystals, small glass beads, small pearls (either whole or cut in half), sequins or the like, or a mixture thereof, to create a three-dimensional surface for the decorative element 18. Preferably, it overlies the fabric layer 22. Where the decorative element 18 comprises pearls, crystals or sequins, a different form of pad or pod 20 is used to accommodate the three-dimensional layer.

Having described the various parts of the embodiments of shoes of the present invention, we can now discuss how to make the shoe. The first step involves cutting and skiving the hard sole piece, which is dye cut 2.5 mm. Next, select the fabric which will provide texture and decoration, and mark its center point so that it will be centered when wrapping. Apply a polyurethane glue adhesive to the hard sole piece and the fabric underside, and allow to dry for about 15 minutes. Next, warm up both components to the proper temperature, about 60-70° C. for proper bond, or as directed by adhesive instruction, press down to adhere both parts, fold the edges of the fabric to wrap around the hard sole and smooth out any wrinkles. Press again (if needed) to insure smooth bond and wrap around, without wrinkles.

Attach clear pad to wrapped hard sole for protection using clear drying cement, such as crystal transparent PVC glue. First, apply cement to upper side of pad and to fabric side. Warm components to temperature recommended by glue. Allow cement to clear and dry for about 15 minutes. Place the clear pad 20 at desired location and press down to adhere. Stitch the pad to the sole with polyester #0 clear stitching. Apply the base adhesive to attach sole to upper of the shoe and press or join together.

For 3D application of crystals and the like, perform the following extra steps: use a 1.5 mm dye cut sole to attach crystals to it before attaching to platform. Use “hotfix application” to attach transfer ornamentation (crystals, pearls, etc.) onto fabric base of the sole (ornamentation with pre-glued backs that melt at specific temperature and pressure). Also, use a water base polyurethane glue as adhesive to attach the crystal sole to the platform. The pad 20 is applied to the forefoot portion, in the case of a high heeled woman's shoe, or to the entire sole in front of the heel in a shoe with a relatively flat heel.

It should be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art that there has been disclosed an improved shoe and method of its fabrication that permits unusual and creative decoration of the sole. Additionally, the decorative elements are attached and sealed beneath a protective covering where they might otherwise touch the floor or street.

The disclosed embodiment is representative of a presently preferred form of the invention, but various modifications will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. All such modifications are intended to be covered by the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. 

I claim:
 1. A method for making a shoe having a decorated sole, which comprises: providing a sole blank for a desired shoe; providing a fabric having desired decoration, design, or insignia on a bottom side thereof; cutting the fabric to a size which will cover the sole and wrap on a portion of an inside edge of the sole; adhering the fabric to the sole blank with a bonding agent or adhesive and wrapping the fabric around the edge of the sole; adhering the fabric to the upper edge of the sole blank; affixing a clear plastic pad to at least a portion of the sole to protect against wear of the fabric by floor or street surfaces; and adhering the sole to a shoe upper to tom a complete shoe.
 2. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising adhering sequins, pearls, or beads to the fabric portion before attaching the pad thereto.
 3. A shoe made in accordance with the method of claim
 1. 4. A shoe made in accordance with the method of claim
 2. 